I have to admit - my ties are not all southwest/native in design. I make them myself and use all sorts of stones, blown glass, fossils and even wood emblems. Of course I make silver-and-turquois (the most common request I get!) too. The turquoise I get these days is all synthetic; the American deposits of real turquoise are long run out.

I found a cloisonné fish in a shop once, and made a tie for my niece who's getting a PhD in fisheries. She loved it!